Closed due to unsafe conditions, St. Mary's stood, unused, on the mountain, a 45 minute climb above Labadie. In March of 2000, the Mission and Cultural Experience Group consisting of 10 people, working with Haitian volunteers, changed all that. Purchasing all material in Cap Haitian, then trucking it the hour over rugged road to CoCo Beach, it was then loaded onto small boats and deposited on the shores of Labadie. From there, everything from corrugated steel panels to sand was hand carried (or in the case of Haitian women, "head" carried) up the mountain to be used for the reconstruction of the school.

In 10 days, St. Mary's went from a crumbling, faulty structure with little interior light, to a bright, sturdy and welcoming learning environment. With a cement floor, corrugated plastic panels in the roof to allow for natural light and an exterior coat of ocean blue paint, St. Mary's stands proud and daily hosts the rotating classes of elementary school students.

In the evening, thanks to a generator also provided by HTFH, the older inhabitants of Prunette benefit from Adult Education classes.

HTFH has made it possible for qualified staff to teach evening classes in literacy, trade skills (sewing, repair etc) etc. Hygiene, child care and other daily living areas are also incorporated into the education the adults are receiving.

Where there once stood a decaying one room kindergarten, a beautiful 10 room school, complete with washroom facilities, a storage room and teachers' prep area now stands. This, thanks to a generous donation from Mr. Alan Quesnel of Windsor and the labour of the March 2001 Mission and Cultural Experience Group and the people of Labadie.

The old structure torn down, Canadians and Haitians, shoulder to shoulder worked to clear the site of all debris and then to begin laying the foundation for phase 1 of the two story structure that stands next to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. While the majority of the volunteers worked on this, Fr. John travelled almost daily to Cap Haitien arranging for the necessary building materials to be purchased and brought to Coco Beach. From there, everything was brought across the bay in small boats (some barely visible in the water from the weight of blocks and sand) and then carried to the site, a half kilometer from the dock. Rocks were crushed into gravel with hammers, cement was mixed and poured by hand, steel rods were cut by saws and sheer will, but at the end of the 2 weeks, the foundation was there.

Finished by the Haitians, St. Mary's HTFH opened its doors in October of 2001. By September of 2002 950 children will be able to attend school, tuition free, from kindergarten to grade 6. Afternoon and morning sessions will accommodate separate classes.

A hot meal of rice and beans and a protein will be served daily to every student and school employee. For some it will be their only meal of the day.

Evening Adult Education classes will be held, thanks to generators provided by HTFH.

Under the guidance of HTFH, Belony LeClerc has become the Director of Education for Labadie/Prunette and qualified staff hired and paid accordingly. Student-teacher ratios are more manageable, programs more student-centered and education given top priority.

A secretary has been hired to do general clerical duties for both schools.

Three cooks are on duty daily, for both schools, to ensure that the food program is in operation on a daily basis.

There is no secondary school in Labadie, so those wishing to go onto high school following gr 6, must travel the hour by tap-tap to Cap-Haitien and back. It is time consuming, difficult and expensive. Currently, HTFH sponsors a number of promising students to be able to continue their studies in this manner.

HTFH biw has the site and is working to be able to build and staff a High School/Trade School right in Labadie to provide the on-going quality education to the children now taking advantage of the elementary schools in the village. This will only be possible through your generous support.

Post Secondary Education

Hoping for many more students to pursue their dreams of becoming the doctors, priests and lawyers they speak of being, HTFH is ready to sponsor University Education for qualified applicants. Only through education will Haiti change.